Top bunker refrigerator car



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C. D. BONSALL TOP BUNKER REFRIGERATOR CAR Original Filed Nov. -22, 1937 V Aug. 12, V1941.

fnl/enfor- C/70f/e5 50050# y lf/ame@ Patented Aug. 12, 1941 2,252,225l Y y 'roi- BUNKER RErmGEnAroR CAR Charles D. Bonsall, Pittsburgh, Pa., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Standard Railway Refrigerator Company, a corporation of Delaware Original application November 22, 1937, Serial No.

175,762, now Patent No. 2,168,557, dated August 8, 1939. Divided and this application January 11, 1939, Serial No. 250,402

11 Claims.

The invention relates to refrigerator cars for handling perishable commodities and more particularly to what is known as the top bunker type of refrigerator car wherein an ice or liquid refrigerant container is positioned adjacent the roof of the car and provided with a drip pan therebelow and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposed lflue which communicates with a vertical ilue associated with the vertical wall of the car, whereby air in the horizontally disposed flue being cooled and densified by the ice in the refrigerant container is caused to descend through the vertical flue rfrom whence it rises through the foraminous false floor and then through the lading, and being warmed thereby, reenters the horizontally disposed flue and repeats the cycle.

Some of the objects of the invention are to form the ice or liquid refrigerant container so that the refrigerant escaping therefrom will be distributed over a relatively large area of the drip pan, or in other words, to evenly distribute `such refrigerant over the drip pan, and a further object is to also form the drip pan so that it will evenly distribute the refrigerant over the width of the vertical iiue associate-d with the vertice.

wall.

Another object is to provide means to prevent the melted ice or liquid refrigerant as it descends through the vertical flue from being accumulated at one side thereof by the service movements of the car.

Another object is to combine the advantages of the improved ice container, drip pan and vertical flue so that a large amount of heat will be absorbed from the melted ice or liquid refrigerant as it moves from the refrigerant container through the horizontally disposed flue and vertical fiue. Studies have developed that a great deal of melted ice is now discharged from refrigerator cars at a temperature around 34* which means that it still has a great d eal of heat absorbing capacity, and as numerous ladings are carried in a refrigerator car around 45 to 50 temperature, it is the object of this invention to transfer more heat in the circulating air to the melted ice before it is discharged from the car.

In the drawing:

Fig. l shows part of a cross section of a railway refrigerator car incorporating some oi my inventions.

Fig. 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1 showing a horizontal section of the wall of the car and the associated vertical Iiue.

In the form of the invention illustrated one or more refrigerant chambers or containers 2 are preferably positioned on eachside of the center line 3 of the car adjacent the roof 4 of the car and also preferably adjacent the side or other vertical wall 5 ofthe car. Hatchways 6 are provided in the roof above the container 2 for loading it with ice or other refrigerant. The usual hatch plug 'l and hatchway lid are used. The partition I0 is held in spaced relation to the side wall 5 by a series of vertical pieces I2 to form vertical flues I3 associated with the side wall 5. The insulated horizontally disposed partition or drip pan I5 is positioned below the refrigerant container 2 and spaced therefrom to provide a substantially horizontally disposed flue I6, which flue, however, inclines downwardly toward and communicates with ther vertical flue I3. A partition or member I'I extends upwardly from the inner margin of the drip pan l5 and is spaced from the refrigerant container 2 to provide a The vertically disposedV members I 'l on opposite sides of the center line 3 Y short vertical ilue I8.

of the car are spaced -apart to provi-de an air channel or passageway 2|. A floor rack or foraminous false floor 23 rests upon the insulated floor 2d and is spaced therefrom to provide a horizontal flue 25 which communicates with the vertical flue I3.

In such a refrigerator car air in the horizontally disposed flue I6 being cooled and densied by a, refrigerant in the refrigerant container 2 moves down the downwardly and outwardly inclined drip pan I5 into the vertical flue I3, thence intothe space 25 below the lading and rising through the apertures 25 in the foraminous oor 23, passes through or between the lading and being warmed and rarefied by the lading, rises and passes upwardly through the passageway 2| and vertical flue I8 into the horizontally disposed flue I from whence the cycle is repeated.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3 the bottom of the container is made of a metallic plate 30 formed with a plurality of substantially parallel corrugations 3| extending parallel to the wall 5 of the car so that the melted ice instead of running to the lower part of the inclined container is partially retained in the grooves 32 between the corrugations. Apertures 34 may be provided in the upper parts of the corrugations 3| as disclosed and claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 175,762, filed November 22, 1937.

In a railway car when the refrigerant containers 2 Aare positioned adjacent the side walls 5 thereof it is desirable to have as few hatchways 6 in the roof 4 of the car as possible owing to leakage of water and heat, therefore, refrigerant containers are made relatively long and extend lengthwise of the car so that normally it becomes diicult to load the container with ice in the portions of the container remote from the hatchway, particularly when Ythe container as a mesh or open bottom, as the ice catches on the openings therein. However, in my .construction the corrugations are preferably posi# tioned parallel to the side Wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 1) where they serve as runners so that ice may be easily slid to the remote portions of the containers.Y The walls of the container are preferably perforated.

In the construction .shown in Fig. 6 vthe corrugations 36 extend normally to the wall 5 of the car and function to retard the service movements of the car from slushing the melted ice vover the floor Vor bottom of the container. The corrugations may merge into Ya wall '39 of the container, as shown in Fig. 3, or terminate in the bottom of the container, as shown in Fig. 6, thus forming a gutter between the lower ends of the corrugations and the adjacent vertical wall.

In the specification I have used the word corrugations in the broad sense, meaning a plate formed with portions in spaced apart parallel planes connected by webs which function in the usual manner attributed to corrugations. Corrugating a metallic plate increases the heat exchange area between the refrigerant container 2 and a horizontally disposed ue I6 therebelow; furthermore, provides great stiffness and strength for the plate against deflection due to the Weight and impact forces of the refrigerant in the container. These corrugations are beams between opposite side walls of the container. However, ribs, baffles,` or similar projections maybe used instead of corrugations :and still perform the desired functions.

I also preferably provide a drip pan l5 having the upper surface thereof made of a metallic plate 42 formed with a plurality of corrugations i3 which may extend parallel to the side wall of the car (as shown in Fig. 6) or normally thereto (as shown in Fig. 3) for the purposes and advantages set forth for the corrugations in the bottom of the refrigerant container. One of the objects of extending the corrugations in the drip pan normal to the wall ofthe car (as shown in Fig. 3) is to provide means to distribute the melted ice evenly, or substantially so, over the width of the vertical flue. The drip pan is preferably insulated by, for instance, the boards 45.

One of the objects of the invention is to distribute the melted ice from the ldrip pan I5 evenly over the width of the vertical ue i3 associated with the side wall 5 but even when this is done service movements of the car may cause the water to accumulate in one vertical side of the ilue, therefore, I provide means to maintain the melted ice evenly distributed over the width of the vertical flue I3 as it passes therethrough. Such means may comprise a metallic plate 97 formed witha plurality of vertical corrugations S8 (see Figs. 1 and '2) which are preferably in alignment with corrugations 43 in the drip pan i5 when the corrugations Q3 extend normally to the side wall of the car. Another means to accomplish this purpose comprises a plurality of vertical partitions |`2 which preferably are provided with spaced apart horizontal apertures |00 (see Fig. 5) so that air may pass between adjacent lues lS-IS, While only a limited amount of water will be allowed to pass through the partition. Fig. 4 shows a partition I2 provided with a plurality of notches lill in each side thereof.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, as it is obvious that various modifications thereof, within the scope of the claims, will occur to persons skilled in the art.

rIlhis is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 175,762, led November 22, 1937, now matured into Patent No. 2,168,557, issued August 8, 1939.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator car, a wall structure arranged to form a -car wall and a vertical flue of considerable width parallel with said wall, an ice container, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apart from the container which drains melted ice from said container into the vertical flue, said drip pan provided with means to evenly distribute said melted ice over the width of said Vertical flue, said vertical flue provided with means to direct the melted ice through said flue in a substantially vertical direction.

2. In a refrigerator car, a wall structure arranged to form a car wall and a vertical flue of considerable width parallel with said wall, an ice container, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apart from the container which drains melted ice from said container into the vertical flue in Contact with a wall thereof, said flue wall provided with means to direct the melted ice through said iue in a substantially vertical direction.

3. A structure as defined in claim 2 wherein said means comprises a plurality of vertical partitions having spaced apart horizontal apertures for flow of air therethrough.

4. In a -refrigerator car, a wall structure arranged to form a car wall and a vertical flue, a liquid refrigerant container and a drip pan positioned below and spaced apart from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said vertical flue, the bottom of said container comprising a metallic sheet formed with corrugations to retain the refrigerant distributed over the bottom of the container, said drip pan comprising a metallic sheet formed with corrugations to cause the refrigerant to remain more evenly distributed over the drip pan, one side of said wall flue comprising a metallic sheet formed with substantially vertical corrugations which receive the liquid refrigerant from the corrugations in the drip pan and retains said refrigerant substantially evenly distributed over the wall ue.

5. A structure as dened in claim 2 wherein said means comprises vertically `extending spaced apart ridges on one of the walls forming said vertical flue.

6. A refrigerator comprising a wall structure arranged to form a vertical lcar wall and avertical flue, a refrigerant container with the bottom thereof sloping downwardly toward said ue, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said flue, the bottom of said container provided with spaced apart upwardly projecting ribs extending substantially parallel to said wall arranged to retain a liquid refrigerant distributed between said ribs.

7. A refrigerator car -comprising a wall structure arranged to form a vertical car wall and a vertical flue, a liquid refrigerant container with the bottom thereof sloping downwardly toward said flue, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said flue, the bottom of said container provided with upwardly projecting ribs extending normally to said wall to retard the movements of the car from slushing the refrigerant to one end of the container, the lower ends of the ribs terminating adjacent the side of the container adjacent said 'wall to provide a gutter therebetween.

8. A refrigerator comprising a wall structure arranged to form a vertical car Wall and a flue,

a refrigerant container, and a .drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drains a liquid refrigerant from said container into said flue, the side of said flue adjacent the drip pan being provided with vertical ribs to maintain the liquid refrigerant evenly distributed over the widths of said nue as it passes through the iiue.

9. A refrigerator comprising a wall structure arranged to form a vertical car wall and a plurality of vertical iiues, said flues being separated by vertical pieces having apertures therein for air movement therebetween, a liquid refrigerant container, and a drip pan positioned below and spaced from said container which drains liquid refrigerant from said container into said flue and also forms a duct for circulation of air from under the refrigerant container into said flue, the sides of said flues adjacent said drip pan being provided with vertical ribs to maintain the liquid refrigerant evenly distributed over the widths of said flues as it passes through the ue.

10. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car, said container having a bottom and a wall, said bottom formed with upwardly projecting corrugations disposed transversely to said wall, said corrugations merging into said bottom adjacent said wall to form a gutter communicating with the spaces between said corrugations.

1l. A refrigerant container adapted for use in a refrigerator car, said container having a bottom sloping toward a wall thereof, said bottom formed with upwardly projecting corrugations disposed transversely to said wall, said corrugations merging into said bottom adjacent said wall to form a gutter communicating with the spaces between said corrugations.

CHARLES D. BONSALL. 

